A Remarkably Short Commentary on Blaise Pascal’s profound thought.
Blaise Pascal
Pascal is looking pale, isn’t he? If you like, you could print him out and colour him in.
Pascal’s Profound Thought
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Pascal
Brown Bear’s Commentary
It’s me, isn’t it?
Brown Bear
Over to You
What do you think of Pascal’s profound thought? What incredible things do you know?
Acknowledgements
Image via WikiMedia Commons: Blaise Pascal doing something clever, sculpted by Augustin Pajou 1785. It has been in the Louvre since 1960 (accession number RF 2981), was photographed by Jastrow (2006) [Public Domain], and badly edited by Kramii 2019.
People have different ideas about what truth is. Today, I am going to talk about some of those ideas and what I think about them.
A tree at night.
When I look at a tree, I get a picture in my head of a tree. When I look at flowers, I get a picture in my head of flowers. When I look at Sheepie, I get a picture in my head of a silly old sheep who is very annoying.
Most people think that there is a world outside our heads, and our senses tell us things about that world. Our senses help us build a picture in our heads about what the world is like.
For example, when I look out of the bedroom window, my senses tell me that I can see a tree. In my head, I get a picture of a tree with green leaves and brown branches. It is tall, and moves about when my senses tell me that the wind is blowing. I have watched the tree in Summer and Winter, so I have different pictures in my head that tell me how it changes at different times of the year. To me, it is a very friendly tree, and the pictures in my head are nice pictures (but not as good as the pictures of trees that JB can draw).
The picture of the tree that I have in my head is different from the picture that Fun Giraffe has. Fun Giraffe is often busy doing “Bouncing Around” during the day, but at night he likes to rest, and to look outside.
Because he mostly looks outside at it at night, the pictures of the tree in Fun Giraffe’s head are mostly in black and white. He says that the tree makes “gloomy shapes”. He says that it makes “friendly shadows against the sky”, and that he likes the way the moon shines through its branches. He listens to the sound of the wind in the leaves of the tree, and he says that it sounds like a crowd of people whispering. When it is stormy, he says that the tree is lots of people clapping because they like the wind and the rain.
But that is not my picture; it is Fun Giraffe’s picture.
The things that Fun Giraffe likes about the tree – it’s dark colours, its happy sounds – are not things that I had even noticed. The things that I like about the tree are things that he has never seen.
So, today I have been wondering: which of us has a true picture of the tree? Is it me? Is it Fun Giraffe? Or is it neither of us?
And, now I have told you about the tree, you have a picture in your head too. Is your picture true? Is it more true than mine?
If you have any ideas about this, please let me know.
A wet bear does not fear the rain, either. But he does worry that someone might not dry him out properly, and that his insides will start to smell funny.
Brown Bear
Over to You
What does today’s profound thought mean to you? Do you agree? What are your thoughts about today’s profound thought?
These are the important things about me. You don’t really need to know anything else, but you can read on if you want to know more.
What I Look Like
I look like a bear, and I am brown. There is a Wise Look™ about me.
A good drawing of me, Brown Bear.
It is not as good as JB’s drawings of me.
Where I Live
I live in a wonderful place called The Bed™, although I do spend a surprising amount of time in other places such as On The Floor™, Stuffed Down the Back™, and In the Wash™. I don’t mind these places too much, as long as JB can find me when he wants me.
What I Do
I don’t have a job; no, I actually have three!
My Most Important Job
My main job is to look after my Human™. He is a fantastic chap called JB. I like him very much. I will always be there for him if he wants to play, to talk to someone, to have a cuddle, or to chew my nose.
This is my most important job, and is my favourite thing, ever.
This is JB, my Human. He’s fantastic!
My Second Job
I am Main Bear™, which means that I am in charge of The Others™. This job keeps me very busy, as there are a lot of Others.
A big part of this job is to make sure that The Others don’t do anything silly, like putting themselves in the bin, going up the hoover, or accidentally eating each other.
I take my responsibilities as Main Bear very seriously. For example, if any of The Others are too lumpy I push them onto the floor where they can learn their lesson.
One of The Others is an annoying sheep called Sheepie. He likes to think he is as important as me, and that he is Main Bear. This is very silly.
The problem is not that Sheepie isn’t actually a bear. Main Bear is a job title, not a description of what you actually are. I have met Main Bears who are all sorts of creatures, including bears, sheep and lions. No, the problem is that Sheepie thinks that he is Main, and that is a big problem because he actually isn’t.
Sheepie really is very silly. If you ask me, I think he should be put on the floor a lot more often. But my JB likes him, so I suppose I’ll have to put up with him.
(Sheepie is also my best friend, but don’t tell him that I said that, will you?)
My Third Job
My third job is quite important, too!
When I am not looking after my Human, and when I am not too busy with The Others, I like to Think About Things™ .
I do actually do get a lot of time to think. When JB isn’t sleeping, he is often away doing Important Stuff™. And sometimes, when he isn’t around, The Others are quite well behaved. This mainly happens when they are sleeping, and sometimes when they’re playing nicely together.
So, I do a lot of thinking. And I find that I can still think quite well, even if I have been left upside down, and all the stuffing is bunching up in my head.
Have you ever noticed how old bears look very wise? Well, now you know how we get that way. It is all the thinking that we do.
The Principle of Credulity was invented by a man called Richard Swinburne, who did a lot of thinking about God and Religion and things like that.
Richard Swinburne wearing a hat.
I do not know why he is holding flowers, but they’re very nice, aren’t they?
What is the Principle of Credulity?
The principle says that if something looks as if it is real, then it probably is real.
For example, if it looks as if I am sitting on the bed and holding a biscuit tin, then I am almost certainly sitting on the bed, holding a biscuit tin.
We ought to believe that things are as they seem to be, until we have evidence that we are mistaken.
Richard Swinburne
Does the Principle of Credulity always work?
Swinburne realized that there are limits to this idea. Normally, it is reasonable to believe that what we experience is real, but sometimes there is a good reason to think that we are been fooled. If this happens – if we think that we are being tricked in some way – then it makes sense to think that what looks true might not be as real as it appears.
Example: Biscuits from Your Ears
Imagine, for example, that you see someone pull a chocolate biscuit out of a container; out of a biscuit tin, for example. In that case, it is reasonable for you to think that the biscuit is real, and that the container is real, and that the container used to have a biscuit in it, and that the biscuit is now in the person’s hand (or possibly their tummy by the time you’ve thought all this). All these things look as if they are real, so normally we can suppose that they are real.
However, imagine that the person you are watching is dressed as a magician, and instead of pulling the chocolate biscuit out of a tin, he pulls it out of your ear! In this case, it would be reasonable to think that what you have seen might not be what really happened. After all, magicians are known for playing tricks on us, for making things look as if they are real when, in fact, they are just pretending. So, unless you are known for keeping chocolate biscuits in your ears, it is likely that what you think you have seen isn’t actually what happened.
So, if we have a good reason to think that we have been tricked, we can believe that what we see isn’t really what has happened. On the other hand, if we don’t have a good reason to think that we have been tricked, we would normally assume that the way that things appear to be is actually the same as the way that things actually are.
Chocolate biscuits are my favourite!
Why is the Principle of Credulity important?
The main reason that Swinburne was talking about all this is because he was interested in whether or not God is actually real. Some people say that God isn’t real, and that people who claim that he is real are making a big mistake.
On the other hand, many people say that God has shown himself to them in some way. For example, some say that God has spoken to them, or that God has made them feel certain things or that he has made them think certain thoughts. Different people have different experiences, but to people who have these experiences, God appears to be real and not imaginary. According to the Principle of Credulity, Swinburn says that, since God appears to be real, then it makes sense assume that God is actually real.
Of course, we should ask ourselves if we think these people are being tricked. But, if we have no strong evidence that they are being tricked, we must assume that their experience comes from something that is real. According to Swinburn, then, the fact that God appears to be real is strong evidence that God is actually real.
The Trouble with the Principle of Credulity
I must admit, there are things I don’t like about the Principle of Credulity.
For example, if JB’s eyes tell him that I have eaten all the chocolate biscuits, then it is reasonable for him to assume that I have actually eaten all all the chocolate biscuits.
Perhaps I should try to hide the empty biscuit tin? But, if I do that, how can I explain the chocolate around my mouth, and on the bed sheets? What should I say if JB asks me why there are crumbs in my ears?
Perhaps I can persuade JB that he has been tricked somehow, and that Sheepie is doing something to get me into trouble.
What Do You Think?
Please let me know if you have any ideas about this, or about anything else that I have written about.
Hello! This site is all about the things that I have been thinking about.
Although I am quite a busy bear, I do like to set aside time just to think about things. This is important work for a bear, especially for a brown one like me.
Here are some of the things that I like to think about:
Why am I here?
What is true?
Am I real, or just the figment of someone else’s imagination?
Do I make my own choices, or does someone make them for me?
Where does right and wrong come from?
What happens when I wear out?
Why is my nose getting chewed?
Is it dinner time, yet?
I have decided to write down some of my very best thoughts about these things. I do hope that you enjoy reading them!
